Lower Bail Denied for Accused Rapist

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – A Portland man charged with taking part in the kidnapping and gang rape of a woman last summer has been denied lower bail by a judge. An attorney for 23-year-old Mohammed Abdi told a judge in asking for bail to be lowered from $200,000 to $10,000 on Tuesday that the sexual encounter was consensual. Abdi’s attorney said the woman’s account of the alleged assault is contradicted by the evidence. Abdi was tied to the woman through DNA. The Portland Press Herald (http://bit.ly/ZlHcJE) reports that the prosecutor argued against the bail reduction, saying Abdi has a history of failing to show up for court dates. Authorities say the 32-year-old woman met her alleged assailants during a night out at a Portland club and several men raped her at gunpoint. ___ Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com